Refrigerating system



Nov. 5, 1935. G. VARNEY REFRIGERAT'INGSYSTEM Filed June 16, 1931INVENTOR 1 fiardan V&rnqq Has ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 5, i935 GordonVamey. Bradenton, rm. I Application June 16, 1931, Serial No. 544,802

This invention relates in geneFai to the-art of refrigeration, and moreparticularly to that phase of refrigeration relating to chilling andfreezing of perishable commodities, and is most specif- 5 icallydirected to that phase of refrigeration designed to produce suchfreezing with sumcient rapidity to prevent the breaking down of cellularstructures or the segregation of the component parts of suchcommodities. This invention is an improvement in certain respects, andfor certain results, over my co-pending application, Serial Number542,503, on Refrigeration systems, filed June 7th, 1931.

I am awarethat the problem'of quick freezing is not a new one and that.others have endeavored, in various ways, to accomplish the resultsdesired. However, I have devised a method of and a means forprovidingfor such a quick cooling which I believe to be novel and a distinctimprovement over any method of which I 'am, at present, aware.

It is the prime object of myinvention to provide a means for and amethod of rapid chilling and/or freezing of perishable commodities,therapidity of action of refrigeration beingsufilcient to preventdisintegration or deterioration of the commodity in consideration.

It is a further object of this invention to provide, in a refrigerationsystem, means for insuring a more intimate and efficient heat exchangebetween the refrigerant and the article to be refrigerated.

It is a further object of my invention to utilize in my refrigerationchambenas a medium of heat exchange, a gas ofreiatively high heatconductivity. I

.Afurther object of my invention is to provide special means forrefrigerating such a gas.

With the abovein mind, it is a further object of my invention to providea quick refrigeration system which can be economically operated with aminimum of apparatus and refrigerants and which will, by its verynature, insure rapid and sure refrigeration.

Further objects of this invention will be round that the apparatus whichI have illustrated may be comprised, as follows:

At I, I have disclosed a refrigeration chamber utilizing an ammoniaexpansion system of refrig-' eration, though my apparatus is in no wiselimited to such refrigeration means as any other means of refrigerationmay be used.

At his shown, diagrammatically, an ammonia gas inlet 2 and outlet 3.Within the refrigeration chamber i there is a heat, conduction tube 4which will be so designed a's to be of approximately the same.configuration and cross-sectional area as that of the articles to berefrigerated. This tube t extends throughout the length of the chamber Iand hastw'o depressed portions 5 and 15 6 which are filled with a liquid17, such as mercury, brine, prestone, or the like, which acts as a gasseal to the tube 8. Immediately adjacent the ends of the chamber i thetubed is provided with an outlet tube 8 and an inlet tube S to permit 0of passage of a refrigerating gas from the tube 4 to and through a gasrefrigerating chamber to." The chamber ill is provided with inlet andoutlet H and ii to a suitable refrigerating system and a blower i3 isprovided to insure circulation 25 through the tube Hi. The outlet tube 9is tapped to permit of induction from a pressure cylinder M containingthe gas of relativelyhigh heat conductivity. to be utilized, the gaspreferably being inert, the inlet from said cylinder being controlledby,a regulatable pressure valve l5. .At It, as a schematic means, forproviding progressive refrigeration of a plurality of articles, I haveshown a pair of wheels Ilprovided with pawls it for insuring thesuccessive progress of a plurality of articles is throughthe chamber 5.In Figure 2,1 have shown a variation of my device in which the heatconductive gas is not sep arately cooled but the cylinder It is tappeddirectly into the tube 4 at 29, a point above the 40 liquid seal.

Having described my apparatus, it will be seen that the same operates,as follows: Theartlcles l9 to be refrigerated are successivelymassedthrough the refrigerating tube i by means of thewheels B1 and the pawlsit. The size and shape of the tube 4 is designed so as to approximateclosely the size and shape of the packages tobe refrigerated and thus toprovide for an; initial relatively clmse thermal contact. 5 To furtheraid the heat transfer I have provided means for' introducing a gas ofrelatively high heat conductivity to completely fill the space betweenthe inner walls of the refrigerating chamber 8 and the articles to berefrigerated.

Any inactive gas having high heat conductivity may be utilized. However,I have considered using'helium. or hydrogen as being inactive and at thesame time highly heat conductive. The liquid seals prevent the heatconductive gases from escaping to or having contactwith the atmosphereand the apparatus shown in Figure I shows an additional refrigerationmeans for separately cooling this gas. Marked advantages of the use ofsuch an inactive gas as I have suggested are their high heatconductivity, the prevention of oxidization, and especially the prevention of frosting with the heat insulation incident thereto.

In referring to hydrogen as a medium of heat exchange I am well aware ofthe fact that it is an active gas under ordinary conditions. However, Ihave found'hydrogen to be inactive under the refrigerating conditionsimposed upon it in the manner above described and I therefore makereference to it as an inactive gas. Furthermore, in my alternatereference to helium and hydrogen as a medium of heat exchange I do notwish to limit my invention to use of either but to anygas which may havethe properties of 1 high heat conductivity or of inactivity underrethrough said chamber, said tube having a crosssectional area and aconfiguration approximating that of the article to be refrigerated toprovide for intimate heat-exchange between its walls and the saidarticle, and a refrigerated gas of relatively high heat conductivityfilling the space between said walls and said article, means forrefrigerating said tube, and separate means for refrigerating said gas.

2. As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a jheatconduction tube extending through said chamber, said tube having acrosssectional area and a configuration approximating that of thearticle to be refrigerated to provide for intimate heat exchange betweenits walls and the said article, and a refrigerated gas of relativelyhigh heat conductivity filling the space between said walls and saidarticle, means for refrigerating said tube, separate means forrefrigerating said'gas, and means for enclosing said gas in a gas-tightseal.

3; As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a heatconduction tube extending' through said chamber, said tube having across sectional area and a configuration approximating that of thearticle to be refrigerated to provide for intimate heat exchange betweenits walls and the said article, and a refrigerated inert gas of. highheat conductivity filling the void between the walls and said article,means for refrigerating said tube, and separate means for refrigeratingsaid gas.

4. As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a heatconduction tube extending through said chamber, said tube .having across sectional area and a configuration approximating that of thearticle to be refrigerated to provide for intimate heat exchange betweenits walls and the said article, and a refrigerated inart gas of highheat conductivity filling the void between the walls and said article,means for refrigerating said tube, and separate means for refrigeratingsaid gas, and means for enclosing said gas in a gas tight seal.

5. As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigeration chamber, a heatconduction tube extendin through said chamber and refrigerated on allsides throughout that portion of its length included within saidchamber, and a gas of high heat conductivity filling the space betweeninner walls of said tube and the articles to be refrigerated, and ameans separate from said refrigerating chamber for refrigerating saidgas.

6. As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a heatconduction tube extending through said chamber, said tube having acrosssectional area. and a configuration approximating that of thearticle to be refrigerated to provide for intimate heat exchange betweenits walls and the said article, and a refrigerated gas of relativelyhigh heat conductivity filling the space between said walls and saidarticle,

means for refrigerating said tube, and means for refrigerating said gas.

7. As a refrigeration apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a heatconduction tube extending in a gas-tight seal.

I GORDON VARNEY.

